Saving Time at Work: Efficiency and Productivity

For business owners, efficiency and productivity is usually something to improve upon. Maybe your own, maybe your employees, but probably both. Lots of tasks exist in an office, and many of them have nothing to do with your business itself. The more you can focus on what needs to be done, the more results you’ll see when it comes to saving time at work.

Efficiency

Efficiency is key. The less time wasted, the more time can be spent being productive. That goes for both you and your employees. There are some great tips to learn, some being directly related to your business and work, others more directed to office management – let’s take a look…

Hire someone to clean your office. Whether it’s you or your employees cleaning, you all could be more efficient focusing on work related projects instead of dusting and cleaning bathrooms. Hire a cleaning company. Wherever you live, you’ll find cleaning services, from cleaning services in Bakersfield, CA to cleaning services in Anytown, USA. The time saved will be much better spent on the business side.

Keep distractions to a minimum. This can be anything from overly checking email to over using meetings. Encourage your team to check email once or twice a day, not every hour. You don’t need a meeting before a meeting about a meeting; keep things streamlined and to the point.

Cross train your team. This way, when someone is out of the office, someone else can pick up where they left off if needed. That doesn’t mean everyone should do everyone else’s job, but it means you should be able to get by if someone needs to be out. You not only won’t miss out on time lost, but you won’t need to bring in more staff to handle things.

Hire the right people. Take time while you interview potential candidates. Weigh the pros and cons, and don’t hire someone if you don’t think they’ll mesh with your current team and improve your workplace. Perhaps they have all the skills, but something is telling you to hold back. Listen to your gut. The same goes for hiring someone who you feel is really the right person though he may be lacking a little in a certain area. Hiring the wrong people can be quite costly, so work hard to hire the right ones.

Outsource what you can’t do. Maybe social media isn’t your thing. Outsource it. Focus on what you know. Just like cleaning, don’t waste your time with what someone else can do better. Focus on what you do well.

Productivity

Along with efficiency, productivity is key. You want your office to run smoothly and let your employees be as productive as they can. Here are some tips to help in this area.

Focus on the right things. As vague as this sounds, it may be the most important thing. For instance, you may be sending your focus to trying to please an unappeasable client. Your focus instead should be on working with clients who will come back and keep working with you. If your productivity is heading down the wrong road, bring it back to focus on what can be positive for you and your business. Basically, stop wasting time.

Take on what you can handle. On a related note, don’t overload yourself. Your productivity will go down if you take on more than you can handle. When you feel your business growing, either hire more people or say no to some clients, but don’t spread yourself too thin. It won’t be good.

Take a break. Whether it’s a five minute break or a two week one, you and your employees all need a break sometimes. When you feel your head getting too full and feel frazzled, take a walk, have a cup of coffee, relax for a minute. Then come back to work with a fresh look. Teach your employees it’s okay to do this. Though you may lose a few minutes, you’ll come back more refreshed and ready to work.

It takes a lot to run a business. You have to wear a lot of hats. But you don’t have to wear them all. Do what you can do well, and let others do the rest. Focus on being productive and positive, and when you need a break, take it, regroup and return. With efficiency and productivity, you’ll see the results you you’re looking for.